Ebola case Patrick Sawyer, whose personality has been surrounded by
controversy.According to Premium Times, in an interview with ThisDay,
the Chief Medical Director of First Consultant Hospital, Benjamin
Ohiaeri, said that the Liberian-American was abiological
terroristaiming at infecting Nigerian with the tropical virus.
The healthcare official narrated how Sawyer lied to the hospital staff
and how he planned to take the deadly virus to the streets of the
country to infect as many Nigerians as possible.
Moreover, according to Ohiaeri, the man wanted to intentionally
transmit Ebola to the hospital personnel.
It would be recalled that Sawyer arrived to Lagos from Liberia July
20, 2014 after having contacted the infected person, which fact he
however hid from the officials.Ohiaeri disclosed that Sawyer
deceptively infected a doctor who had gone to appeal to him to be calm
following his violent protest to be let out of the hospital.
When his symptoms, first believed to be those of malaria, worsened, he
was tested for Ebola. However after having been told he might have the
deadly tropical virus, Sawyer was neither "upset" nor "surprised",
Ohiaeri said.
Multiple accounts indicate that the man went into a fit of
rage,yanking off his intravenous line and spilling blood all over the
hospital wardwhen he was told he wouldn't be discharged.
"A reasonable man would flinch when he is informed that he is going to
be tested for Ebola. A reasonable man would want to know why the
suspicion and what his chances of survival are and how he is going to
be treated. A reasonable man would not say "I must leave the hospital
now!" This was very strange to us because being an articulate
forty-year diplomat we expected some measure of intelligent
conversation on this dreaded disease. So, we could not understand why
he was so desperate and determined to leave the Hospital when we were
clearly trying to investigate his situation and find the way to treat
his condition."
It would be noted that 18 Nigerians, mostly workers of the hospital,
infected with Ebola were traced to Patrick Sawyer.
It had been previously alleged based on the video provided by the
James Spriggs Payne's Airport, Monrovia, that Saywer knew he had
Ebola before leaving for Lagos, as he looked ill and behaved in a
strange manner.
Ohiaeri further told the correspondent thatSawyer deceptively infected
one of the hospital doctors, who later died from the virus."Dr.
Abaniwo, of his own volition, went to try to convince Mr. Sawyer to
calm down and give the hospital the chance to make him better. Dr.
Abaniwo is a deeply religious man who would have felt convicted to
speak to Mr Sawyer – to ensure that he was alright. Sawyer seemed to
calm down a little, but he then did something terrible, which caused
Dr. Abaniwo to contract Ebola. He asked Dr. Abaniwo to check his eyes
because his eyes had been previously injected. It is through this
singular act of kindness that Dr. Abaniwo contracted the disease.
Sadly, it took the confirmation of Dr. Abaniwo as Ebola carrier for
the fullness of his encounter with Mr. Sawyer to be told."
Ohiaeri called Saywer was not an ordinary patient, but"a terrorist".
"What was unique about Mr. Sawyer's condition was that Mr. Sawyer did
not want to be treated and he wanted to be a terrorist and go out of
his way to infect other people. Ordinary patients don't do that. It's
bad enough taking care of Ebola and trying to bring in other people to
assist. Ebola victims all over the world are begging 'please come and
help me'. But Mr. Sawyer didn't want to be helped."
The hospital consultant also revealedthey had been underdiplomatic
pressure to let Sawyer out, which pressure was coming from the
Liberian ambassador, Al Hassan Koike.
"As if Sawyer's behaviour were not bad enough, we soon began to
receive irate calls from the Liberian Ambassador, Al Hassan Koike, who
had apparently been contacted by Sawyer. The Ambassador repeatedly
badgered Dr Adadevoh, ordering that Sawyer be permitted to leave the
hospital and telling her that we had no authority or right to keep
him. All of Dr. Adadevoh's attempts to explain the situation, and my
subsequent attempts to intervene, were shrugged off. The only thing
the ambassador wanted was for Sawyer to be released, otherwise we
would face charges of 'kidnapping'. Thethreatswere ratcheted up to the
extent that he accused us of threatening an international diplomatic
row, the consequences of which, he insisted, we would sorely regret."
However neither accusation nor threats shook their resolution.
Ohiaeri paid tribute to Dr. Adadevohdescribing her as one of the most
brilliant doctors the country has ever had.
"We all knew Dr. Adadevoh. She is thorough, incisive, competent and
compassionate. After 21 years of working with a person, you know them.
We trusted her – We trusted her judgement. Here was one situation
where the risks to us of getting it wrong was disproportionately
insignificant to the risks to Nigerians if we unleashed an Ebola
patient on an unsuspecting public. No one would be able to curtail the
fallout. Dr. Adadevoh, was one of the most brilliant physicians this
country has ever produced."
There is currently no active case of Ebola in Nigeria, as the country
managed to contain the virus currently ravaging West Africa. The death
toll from the haemorrhagic fever has almost reached the terrifying
5,000 figure.
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